Chevrolet Volt Will Use Premium Fuel
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt may avoid the gas pump for long periods at a time, but when it comes time to fill up, Chevy wants owners to put premium in the tank.
“It seems a bit odd that The General would force its customers into using higher-priced gasoline if there wasn’t a good reason for it, especially since it doesn’t seem that the engine is highly stressed — 80 horsepower from 1.4 liters isn’t exactly bleeding edge,” says Autoblog.
Apparently GM does have a good reason for the request.
Inside Line “spoke with Adam Denison with GM’s Volt Communications dept. who added this, ‘The Volt’s unique architecture causes the on-board engine to act more like a generator. As such, premium fuel is required to maximize fuel efficiency. The use of premium fuel in the Volt increases fuel efficiency by five percent or greater over the use of regular fuel. Simply put, premium fuel optimizes this engine’s characteristics. Basically, with reduced fuel consumption a key objective, premium fuel is the right solution for the Volt.’”
Like most vehicles that ask for premium fuel it seems as though the Volt will only lose efficiency when regular gas gets poured down its fuel filler. With an MSRP of $41,000, dropping a few extra dollars on premium fuel shouldn’t be a problem for most owners, especially when efficiency is at stake.
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